Phyllis McGinley was an insightful lady. I mean, we would expect nothing less from a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and author. Phyllis had a special way of finding beauty in the ordinary, often celebrating the quiet, everyday moments of suburban life — family routines, community ties, and simple joys. I didn’t know much about her until I started writing this post, but I might need to add her writings to my to-read list. She is described as witty and comical, just the type of person I would want to be friends with. While she doesn’t have a lot of writings specifically about hobbies, I found her words on them to be a great start for this blog post — I needed a quote, and Phyllis provided. As she said, “A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away.”
I completely agree with her here. I use puzzling, like many do with hobbies, to de-stress, break up the monotony of my days, and as a way to keep my hands busy. However, her other quote, “A hobby is a happy medium between a passion and a monomania,” may be a bit off the mark. Because, at least for me, I don’t know if I would describe anything about my puzzling hobby as a balance.
🧩 I puzzle almost every day, often while drinking my morning coffee, for a few minutes between tasks, or in the evening to wind down after the day. This has become a meaningful routine that helps me relax and recharge. My puzzle collection is, admittedly, quite large — even bigger than our board game collection. But I like to think that puzzling is a constructive hobby, particularly since I pair it with audiobooks — at least relatively speaking.
Interestingly, I don’t glue my puzzles and rarely leave them out for more than a few hours. Often, I’ll dismantle them as soon as I finish, ready to start the next one. This can be rather controversial — many people enjoy preserving their work and the beautiful images. While I completely understand that, I prefer to avoid the issue of space and instead enjoy redoing puzzles now and then. Though, I must admit, that happens less often these days since I’ve been buying used puzzles and accumulating quite the collection.
The tale of how I became an avid puzzler is not unlike the stories of many hobbyists these days—I dabbled with puzzles as a pre-teen and rediscovered them during Covid quarantine. I had a few puzzles on hand at the time but went online to search for a few more. Can I just say the toilet paper crisis was never an issue for me, but the day I realized everyone was out of puzzles? 😢 I was devastated. Eventually, I found a few from the educational toy company, Eeboo, which has since become my favorite puzzle brand.
From that point forward, I started doing puzzles pretty regularly. To my surprise, I found others who enjoyed puzzling too. Like most things, the internet is a great way to find the vibrant puzzle community that exists. There’s a whole puzzle community out there, and like most things, the internet is a great way to find it. Blogs, social media pages, and online groups are filled with fellow puzzlers eager to share tips, stories, and their latest finds. Through these spaces, I discovered amazing blogs and YouTubers who create fun puzzle-related content, such as Karen Puzzles.
Karen Puzzles is great because the quality of her videos and her connections with major retailers create opportunities for really unique content. A few months ago, she gave us an inside look into the World Puzzle Championships. 🤯 Did you know this was a thing? Me neither! The World Puzzle Championships bring together elite puzzlers from across the globe to compete in intense speed and skill-based challenges. Participants race against the clock, testing their pattern recognition, puzzle-solving speed, and strategic thinking. It’s a fascinating event that really showcases the art and skill behind competitive puzzling.
Karen Puzzles on YouTube
Karen Puzzles on Instagram
But it’s not just online communities—I love the unique ways I’ve happened upon fellow puzzle enthusiasts. Surprisingly, what I had mostly thought of as a solo activity became a social one as well — both online and in person. For example, we have a large cookout for Labor Day weekend in which we spend the weekend camping and soaking up the sunshine and fresh air. Last year, I took this 2000-piece Disney Classic Collage puzzle by Ceaco out to a table near the campfire. This Silver Select Edition features iconic Disney characters in a beautiful collage with silver foil accents. The collage design made it relatively easier for a puzzle of this size. However, the repetitive nature of the frames presented a challenge, adding a tricky yet engaging element to the experience.
What started as my solo puzzle project quickly became a whole group activity. My sister and dad both spent hours at the table with me while we chatted and watched the kids 🧼🧽 get dirty — because what else would happen when kids are outside for three days straight? The true miracle was that we didn’t lose any pieces (or children — though honestly, keeping track of the puzzle might have been easier than keeping track of the kids). I credit that largely to my great puzzling accessories. (I’ll share more on those in an upcoming post.)
👨👩👧👦 Speaking of family connections, every year I create a holiday card that includes highlights from our year. 2024’s included that my sister-in-law and I had placed in a couple of speed puzzling competitions. It was meant to be a fun reference to my hobby, much like the basketball highlights were a reference to Gerry’s. However, the coolest thing happened—I’ve been volunteering at my kids’ school, and my son’s teachers recently shared that they’re also puzzlers. They were just as excited to talk puzzles with me as I was with them! For me, the puzzle competitions were a fun experience, but to them, it seemed impressive — which made me smile. Now, every time I go in, I get to chat puzzles with them—which, obviously, is the real reason I continue to go. 🤣
And now for my favorite story — the coolest one yet. I like buying used puzzles and have found some great ones at Half Price Books, Goodwill, and on Facebook Marketplace. Used puzzles are a bit like used books — a little worn, often with a history of their own, and sometimes filled with delightful surprises. A few months ago, I was doing the adorable Galison Boss Dogs puzzle when I noticed someone had signed a piece. This is a fun puzzle community trend—signing the last piece you put in. I was curious if I could find the person on Facebook, but didn’t have much luck—until Vanessa commented on my bookstore post a couple of weeks ago, saying she also loves getting puzzles from Half Price. I had to go back and check the puzzle piece, and lo and behold—it was signed “Vanessa.” Vanessa and I connected, me telling her that I found one of her pieces, and her sharing her puzzle blog with me. You can check out her amazing puzzle content here: Puzzle & Chill on Instagram. ✨ It was such a delightful and unexpected connection — one of those moments that makes you smile and reminds you just how small — and beautiful — the world can be.
Puzzling is great. My favorite way to puzzle is while listening to audiobooks. But I also love competitive puzzling, puzzling while watching a movie with my family, or even sitting around a table puzzling with others—chatting, laughing, and connecting. With all of this in mind, I’m excited to start hosting puzzle events in the future! These events will be a great opportunity to meet fellow puzzlers, swap tips, and enjoy some lighthearted competition. Whether you’re a seasoned puzzler or a curious beginner, everyone is welcome to join.
Our first puzzle event is happening this Saturday, March 22nd, and I can’t wait to gather with others for a fun and social experience where we’ll connect over pieces and patterns. Whether you’re a seasoned puzzler or just curious about the hobby, this is a great chance to meet new friends and enjoy some lighthearted competition. For event details, visit our Facebook page: Puzzle Event Details. Stay tuned!